Roller-bearing cage.



JULIUS A. PERKINS, OF NEW YORK, 1\T. Y.

ROLLER-BEING: CAGE.

Application led 'May 6, 1913, Serial No. 765,7S2. Renewed. J une 9,1916. Serial No.

To all lwhom z't may concern.'

Be it known that I, JULIUs A. PERKINS, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and residing at New York, in the county of New York and Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements inRoller-Bearing Cages, the following is a specification, such as willenable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

rThis invention has an especial application to roller bearing cages,with a particular reference to the ribs used for spacing the cage endplates, although it is also applicable for use in many other positionswherein the equivalent of said ribs are subjected to strain, especiallytorsional strain,

' and the main object thereof is to provide such ribs, beams, bars,rods, distance pieces, or the like which provide the maximum strengthwith the minimum weight. In such cages it is desirable to make theweight .as little as possible and, at the same time,

consistent with the required strength, as the only function performed bythe cage is in guiding or alining the rollers in their planetai-ymovement about the journal of a shaft or the like and, as ball bearingsare frequently provided at the junctions of the roller ends with thecage end-plates, excessive or unnecessary weight of the cage wouldrequire larger and stronger balls than are actually needed lfor thepurpose and thus precluding the possibility of using the same number ofballs in the same spaces or else requiring that the cage end plates bemade larger and heavier in order to provide correspondingly enlargedball spaces, the ,ribs therefore practically determining the weight ofthe cage, and l have accordingly developed ribs of the minimum weightfor given strength, or of greater strength for a given weight. f

My invention is fully set forth in the following specication, of whichthe accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts aredesignated by the samereference characters in each of the views, and inwhich Fi re l is a section taken through a cage provided with myimproved spacing ribs,

on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a sec- Specieation of LettersPatent.

of which Patented Jan. 16, 19t?.

wares.

tion taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, side,view of one. of the ribs detached from the cage, enlarged; Fig. 4- is asimilar view of the inner face thereof, viewed from the axis of thecage; and Fig'. 5 is an end view thereof.

In the drawings forming a part of this application l have shown a rollerbearing cage comprising washer-shaped end plates a and a?, each of whichis provided with a plurality of spaced bores a3 therethrough, and saidend plates are joined by means of ribs b forming the basis of thisapplication, each of said ribs being provided with end tenons b2 adaptedto enter corresponding bores a3 and, when in such positions, the ends ofthe tenons are adapted to be flared by spinning or otherwise to lock thesame in the end lates, this being clearly shown in Fig. 1. he ribs areequidistant and form roller spaces therebetween for rollers c, each ofwhich has a reduced end tenon c2 at each end bearing upon series ofballs 03 arranged in suitable recesses a4 in the cage end plates, ahardened vof' being interposed between the balls yand the cage endplates in the present showing to avoid the necessity for hardening thecage, but the specific cage end plate construction forms no art of thisinvention, nor does the partlcular form of roller or roller aliningmeans.

By reference to Figs. 3, 4 and 5, it will be seen that substantiallytriangular, segmental, end bases b3 are provided for the ribs b and ofrelatively great dimensions on both the peripheral and radial lines ofthe cage, this peripheral dimension being continued throughout theentire length of the rib between cage end plates, but only on the cageperiphery, the central portion of the rib having a radially arranged webfor a given distance, these parts of the ribs being indicated ati# andb5, respectively, but, by reference to Figs. l and 3, it will be notedthat l do not make the radial dimension of` the web o as great as theradial dimension of the end bases 5B.

The peripheral portion b4 is gradually thickened from either rib endtoward the center but not to a very marked degree, and the web t5 isalso Voutwardly tapered, in cross section, to meet the thickest portionof ves the part b4, resulting in substantially a T- shaped product incross section which possesses great stren h with respect to its weight,and this -formation is continued for a predetermined distance on eitherside of the transverse-median vline of the cage where it is interruptedby slanting portions be extending from the edges of the rib bases b3 tothe intersections of their points with the central rib portion in agradually weight reducing manner, the inclination of these portions bbeing, in plan view, that of a line `drawn between diagonal `edges ofthe rib bases, as clearly showny by the lines -w and :v2-wz, Fig. 4,whereby any torsional strain is taken upon the rib bases, at the cageend plates, in lines passing through the web b5 centrally of the rib, inany rotary strain on leither of the end plates in one direction or onboth in opposite directions and, as the rib bases and peripheral lribportions b4 are ,of the same peripheral dimensions, the lines ofldirection of strain lie in the peripheral portions b4 at the point ofgreatest strain on the rib bases in such torsional end plate movement,thus providing the most material and strength where needed andeliminating the material vtoward the cage axis as the necessity for suchtorsional resistance becomes less.

The above is based upon the tendency to' individual rotary movement ofthe cage end plates, because of untrue roller operation or for otherreasons, but there is'also a strain due to the end'plates being forced,at times, in planes parallel to each other, such strain being resistedby the ribs at angles to the line of direction thereof in a mannersimilar to that already described, but those ribs in the said line ofdirection take the strain, from rib end to rib end, on lines y-y and y2fz/2,' Fig. 3, and itpwill be seen that I provide ample shoulders oneither side of the rib end tenons to take vsuch strains diagonallythrough. the heaviest and strongest A parts of the ribs, removed fromthe of the ribs to be and at angles sufliciently central longitudinalplane highly eective in strain resistance, because of the leverageprovided' by the distance of the edges of the shoulders from the endtenons of the ribs, and the inclined portions h6 are so placed anddesigned as to provide a maximum strength in the lines of greateststrain and only in such lines, as any extension of the said portions b"beyond such lines would result only in dead weight and waste material.

While ystrains of but two kinds have been referred to, it will beevident that combinations of these strains may occur, and possiblywrenching strains, or strains taken diagonally through thecage in theevent of its falling to strike on one edge of lone of the end plates,but by applying a ruler or straight-edge to the drawings in thedirecsaid rib wit T-shaped central portion,

`rib weight .to a

vcentral portion, the peripheral tion and along the lines of anypossible strain it will be seen that the greatest rib strength lies insuch lines and that there is no excess material ,on the outside of suchlines of direction of strain, thus resulting in a rib-of minimum weightand of maximum stren h. l

Although my invention was designed primarily for use in roller 'bearingswherein rollers of considerable length were employed, I do not limitmyself thereto, nor, indeed, to the use thereof in roller bearings, asmany other uses therefor may arise Without any material departure fromthe design shown, and, while I have shown integral rib tenons adapted tobe riveted in the cage end plates, I may make the tenons separate andsecure them in any desired Ymanner in either the ribs or the end plates;

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l1. As an article of manufacture, for spanning the space between twoelements and adapted to take any torsional strain therebetween', a ribof T-formation centrally of its length, end bases of substantiallygreater area than the cross-sectional`area of said central portion andsubstantially triangularl inclined portions being within lines drawn.between diagonal shoulders of said bases tol elect aminirnum of weightand maximum of strength and means for connection yof 4said elements.

2. A cage for roller bearings, comprising end plates and connectingribs, each of said ribs comprising a T-shaped central portion, bases ofgreater cross-sectionalfareas than said central portions, and inclinedportions joining saidlend bases and saidfcentral portions and beingconfined within lines drawn between diagonal shoulders of said bases toreduce the weight of said rib to a minimum. 3. A cage for rollerbearings, comprisin -end plates, having bores therethrough, an

connecting ribs having end tenons locked in said bores, each of saidribs comprising a end bases of substantially greater cross-sectionalareas than said central rtion, and inclined portions joiningsaid asesand central portions and being confined within lines drawn betweendiagonal shoulders of saidbases to reduce minimum.

4. A cage for roller bearings, comprising end plates and connecting ribssecured thereto, each of said ribs comprising a central T-shapedportion, end bases of substantially greater cross-sectional areas thansaid portion of said rib being of the same peripheral dimension as saidend bases, and inclined portions joining said bases and central portion,presence of the subscribing Witnesses this the inclination thereof beingapproximately 5 day of May, 1913.

that of a line drawn between diagonal shoulders of said-end baseswhereby excess mate- JULIUS A' PERKINS' 5 rial and weight is eliminated.Witnesses:

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as WILLIAM A. BOECKEL,

my invention I have signed my name in J. C. LARSEN.

